Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Mark Sanford back in March, whipping up support in suburban Greenville for his anti-stimulus nonsense. Photo from the worshipful Greenville News.

Yes, we are continuing our sordid gubernatorial saga from yesterday, wherein South Carolina governor Mark Sanford goes on a binge... oops, I mean, decides to hike the Appalachian Trail all Father's Day weekend, without his four sons and (pointedly) not telling his wife where he is going.

What kind of patriarch is THAT, I ask you? Some Family Values THOSE ARE, Governor Sanford!

As stated yesterday, our chickenshit Gannett newspaper, ever-eager to tote water for the GOP, did not cover the story until it went national and people were giggling on cable TV outlets over it. Now, they have decided to (apologies to Gerald Graff) "teach the controversy" as a way of covering the story, without really covering it or doing any in-depth investigation.

COLUMBIA - Gov. Mark Sanford has been hiking along with Appalachian Trail, his spokesman said this morning, and he will return to work tomorrow because of the attention this trip has garnered.

Joel Sawyer, a spokesman for the governor, said Monday that he could not disclose the location of Sanford. He said today that the governor’s staff waited until last night before releasing more detail, in part because “we wanted to have a little bit better understanding of where he was.”

He said the governor was taken aback by so much attention to his trip.

Sawyer said he did not know when the governor would finish his hiking trip or what section he was on of the popular trail, which runs from northern Georgia to Maine. Sawyer said there was no need to turn over his authority to the lieutenant governor.

Sawyer on Monday said the governor had left town last week to a secret location to “recharge” after his bruising political battle with lawmakers over the federal stimulus issue.

Sanford’s sabbatical drew the interest this morning of national radio talk show host Glenn Beck, who mused that the reason the conservative governor’s absence had stirred so much talk among politicians is because he poses a threat to the status quo.

“This guy’s a threat,” he told listeners. “What do they do? They smear him.”

Beck and his staff poked fun at critics of Sanford, mockingly suggesting that one reason Sanford’s wife had said she was not sure where her husband was could be because she had him killed.

“What’s next, Governor Sanford, fishing at Christmas?” Beck quipped.

One state senator questioned whether the governor’s location was known by his staff and criticized the governor for leaving without handling over control of state government to Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer.

“I think everybody in South Carolina ought to have a problem with it,” said Sen. Jake Knotts, a West Columbia Republican and frequent Sanford critic. “I don’t mind him taking off somewhere to be alone. But the constitution says that in the absence of the governor, the lieutenant governor should be left in charge.”

Sawyer said the Republican governor was taking time away “to recharge after the stimulus battle and the legislative session, and to work on a couple of projects that have fallen by the wayside.”

He said the brief sabbatical is not unusual.

Well duh! No, a sabbatical is not unusual, but not telling even your wife and children where you are, during Father's Day weekend, is just plain weird.

Further, it STINKS.

Does anyone believe this bullshit?

“The governor put in a lot of time during this last legislative session, and after the session winds down it's not uncommon for him to go out of pocket for a few days at a time to clear his head,” Sawyer said in a statement. “Obviously, that's going to be somewhat out of the question this time given the attention this particular absence has gotten.”

Before leaving last week, Sanford told his staff his whereabouts and let them know he would be difficult to reach, Sawyer said.

Should any emergencies arrive before his return, Sawyer said, the governor’s staff would contact other state officials to address them.

Knotts, a former police detective who first learned of the governor’s disappearance on Saturday, said Sanford left last week in a State Law Enforcement Division vehicle and that agency has not been able to contact him since. He said it is not the first time the governor has shaken his security detail.

“I understand that in other instances over the last several weeks, the governor has left without any detail and gone for short periods of time,” Knotts said, “but this is the longest.”

SLED Director Reggie Lloyd could not be reached for comment.

Knotts said he also had a problem with the governor taking a fully equipped SLED vehicle.

“I’ve had my battles with the governor,” Knotts said. “But this isn’t a battle with the governor. This is just plain out logical thinking.”

When Sanford first took office in 2002 he indicated he did not want a security detail watching him. He later relented after discussions with SLED’s chief.

Word of his disappearance on Monday prompted the leader of the Senate Democrats to say that he was praying for the governor.

“We’ve been concerned by the governor’s erratic behavior for some time,” Sen. John Land said in a statement. “We’re praying for him and his family. I hope he is safe and that he contacts the First Lady and his family soon.”

Sanford spent months opposing the acceptance of about $700 million in federal stimulus aid and even filed suit to try and get a federal judge to rule on the issue after the Legislature passed a budget with a provision that required the governor to apply for the money.

A federal judge sent the issue to the South Carolina Supreme Court, which ruled against the governor.

Why are we stuck with this jackass for a governor? Haven't we been punished enough?

And why DIDN'T he want a security detail? Oh yeah, all that Republican fiscal responsibility, right? Does anyone believe that?

I hope some intrepid, dedicated reporter with money and means, is snooping around the bank accounts as we speak, and looking for the brothel or the dope dealer or whatever else it is. Because I don't believe a single word of this CRAP.